Hamburg mourns, Berlin dances: Hertha BSC has torn Hamburger SV from all Bundesliga dreams and remains first class. Felix Magath’s rescue mission has been successful.
Felix Magath briefly high-fived the bench, but the saver left the party to his players. The Hertha BSC coach had already disappeared into the dressing room when the Berlin professionals around the outstanding Kevin-Prince Boateng celebrated relegation in the Bundesliga with wild dances in front of the guest curve.
With a 2-0 (1-0) win, the club from the capital pulled its head out of the noose and tore Hamburger SV from all Bundesliga dreams in the relegation second leg.
“It’s as if we had become champions. I don’t even know what to say,” enthused Boateng on “Sat1”: “Huge compliment to everyone. We showed exactly what we needed. That was Hertha , as we know it.”
For HSV, on the other hand, the period of suffering in the 2nd division is extended. After the final whistle, Tim Walter sank into his coach’s chair in consternation before reviving his players on the field. The HSV fans also applauded when the team went into the curve. “It hurts. We imagined it differently,” said HSV captain Sebastian Schonlau on “Sky”.
“What the boys delivered today was outstanding!” Said Berlin’s sports director Fredi Bobic on “Sat.1”. “Today we really acted as a team and hardly made any mistakes. We worked together, toiled, there was passion in it.” The ex-professional announced that he would drink “a few more beers”, but then there would be “endless work”.
HSV fails for the fourth time at the goal of promotion
Dedryck Boyata with a powerful header after a corner (4th) and Marvin Plattenhardt with a free-kick flick (63rd) scored for Hertha. The yellow-red card for Lucas Tousart from Berlin was no longer significant (90 + 6). In doing so, Magath also built on an impressive personal streak: in his career spanning decades, the 68-year-old has never been relegated.
In addition, the trainer fox proved to be a real party crasher at his old place of work in front of 55,000 spectators in the Volksparkstadion. While at HSV everything was ready for a lavish celebration of promotion after the 1-0 win in the first leg, the Berliners prevented the seventh relegation in the club’s history at the last moment with a passionate performance.
HSV, on the other hand, was denied a return to the first division on the fourth attempt. The former Bundesliga Dino was relegated for the first time in its history in 2018, after three fourth places the Hamburgers now failed in the relegation.
A very strong and disciplined performance by the Berliners was decisive for the turning point. Led by Kevin-Prince Boateng, the Bundesliga-16 surprised. HSV with a courageous and self-confident appearance – and was rewarded. While Hamburg had little to offer apart from their irrepressible passion on Monday evening, Hertha controlled long stretches of the game and created the better chances.
Boateng with a strong performance as Hertha leader
“I don’t feel like relegating,” Magath emphasized immediately before the game against his old love on “Sat1” and spoke of a “situation like in the European Cup. We’re 0-1 behind, HSV is in the Bundesliga – so there’s pressure at HSV.” He was “confident that we can turn it around in the next 90 minutes”.
Magath relied on fresh staff for this. At Hertha, Santiago Ascacibar (after a yellow card suspension) and the veterans Stefan Jovetic (32) and Boateng (35) were allowed to play. “The Prince is a finalist. He knows how it’s done,” said Magath.
And in fact, “the Prince” played a major role in the fact that the Berliners put their stamp on the game, which was quite different from the first leg. Boateng presented himself extremely ball-safe and strong in tackles behind the two forwards.
In the second half, the game picked up speed. Both teams were now looking for the forward gear and came to dangerous conclusions. Tousart missed for Hertha (47th). On the other side, Christensen had to clear against Moritz Heyer (49th). Then Plattenhardt almost scored from the outside line with a lot of cutting, HSV keeper Daniel Heuer Fernandes didn’t look good.